Fatores ambientais, assistenciais e alimentares que dificultam a alimentação oral de idosos hospitalizados: revisão integrativa

Maria Helena Lenardt; José Baudilio Belzarez Guedez; João Alberto Martins Rodrigues; Clovis Cechinel; Larissa Teleginski Wardenski; Daiane Maria da Silva Marques

doi:10.5294/aqui.2026.26.3.7

Authors

Maria Helena Lenardt Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8309-4003
José Baudilio Belzarez Guedez Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8042-0317
João Alberto Martins Rodrigues Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5708-3148
Clovis Cechinel Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9981-3655
Larissa Teleginski Wardenski Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7092-8814
Daiane Maria da Silva Marques Author Universidade Federal do Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7168-4839

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5294/aqui.2026.26.3.7

Keywords:

Nursing Care for Hospitalized Older People, Nutrition for older people, Review, Food Assistance, Energy Intake

Abstract

Introduction: Oral feeding in hospitalized older people is often compromised by environmental, care, and dietary choice factors, which are still overlooked in clinical practice. Recognizing these determinants is essential for supporting effective interventions. The nursing team is responsible for assessing food acceptance, assisting during meals, and communicating the identified needs and difficulties to the nutrition team. Objective: To identify environmental, care, and dietary choice factors that hinder oral feeding in hospitalized older people. Materials and Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted in compliance with the adapted PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed during June 2024 in the MEDLINE, Virtual Health Library, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Observational and intervention studies with hospitalized older people (≥ 60 years) were included, with no restrictions on language or date; case reports, letters, abstracts, theses, dissertations, monographs, and reviews were excluded. The studies were classified according to the hierarchical level of evidence established by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Results: A total of 640 studies were found, of which 32 were included in the final sample. The main factors that compromised nutrition were the lack of a dining room, reduced privacy, interruptions during meals, insufficient professional assistance, and inadequate meal schedules or food options, all of which are factors associated with lower caloric intake and an increased risk of malnutrition. Conclusion: The environmental, care, and dietary factors that interfere with oral feeding among hospitalized older people are multifactorial. Notable factors included inadequate infrastructure and inappropriate meal schedules, as well as a shortage of personnel to assist with feeding. These conditions compromise food intake, increasing the risk of food and nutritional insecurity in this population.

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